The Hearthwald Isles
The Hearthwald Isles are a small grouping of isles in the South Sea's. The largest of which, has been colonized by supporters of Parliamentary Industrialism, under a plan drawn by the parties Executive Board. The only current settlement on any of the Isles is Hearthwald, a heavily industrialized port city. History The Hearthwald Isles '''were an originally uninhabited group of islands in the South Sea's. Occasionally used for the marooning of pirates and for meetings between Goblin business owners, pirates, or other unsavory types who would rather not make their meeting known. Recently, the Parliamentary Industrialism Movement or PIM, scouted out the Hearthwald Isles seeking for a suitable location to design and build an industrialized colony. With the significant advantages in terms of resources and management in building, the building process was swift. PIM encouraged its supporters to settle there. Promising a great life in an industrialized society in the tropical weather of the South Sea's. PIM instituted a Hearthwald Parliament which is the legislative body with the task of creating laws for the colony. They also had an open election for Consulate, the executive tasked with representing Hearthwald in political settings along with being the administrator of the Parliament Sessions. Geography The '''Hearthwald Isles consist of three separate isles within close proximity to one another in the South Sea's. A few of the isles are rich in minerals and others have tropical forests that are filled with all manner of flora and fauna. Of the four islands, the most unique is likely Infernosia, a massive volcano, believed to have been the source of the Isles creation. Thankfully, the volcano is believed to be dormant and believed to have been for hundreds of years. Infernosia is impossible to settle on due to its barren landscape, entirely covered in ash and blackened rock. However, the South Seas especially off the coast of Stranglethorn has a considerable amount of oil and Hearthwald has definitely utilized this resource. The Venture Co. is also notorious for having using this area for oil drilling and hoping to avoid a war for the oil monopoly, Hearthwald only drills within the archipelago. However, as this would hardly keep themselves safe, several brilliant goblin and gnome engineers managed to drill into the volcano, creating tunnels where molten magma now flow through into an Oil Refinery on the side of the volcano. The Oil Refinery is used by the Venture Co. along with Hearthwald, due to its proximity to the South Sea's it is less expensive to refine the oil nearby. The refinery is mostly operated by the more desperate of workers, the conditions being difficult due to the intense heat and never-ending ash. The refinery is ran by an immensely wealthy Goblin, Joe Moolawix who is the CEO of Moolawix Enterprises, a very profitable company that operates in several fields. Joe Moolawix is a board member on PIM's Executive Board and his son a Representative in Hearthwald's Parliament. Moolawix Enterprises is kept loyal to Hearthwald due to each member of PIM's executive board holding a significant percentage of the company in stocks. The largest isle has been named Hearthwald and is the location of Hearthwald City. Mostly covered in a thick forest, besides a few quarries that are harnessed as gem mines. A fair portion of the jungle has been cleared, the wood used for building Hearthwald City and the land now being used for the city, factories and a few plantations for crops. The smallest island is Palmshaw, a sphere-shaped isle, covered in a dense forest. Anyone who goes within a decent distance into the jungle would find all manner of creatures. The land is dangerous and hostile, unlikely to be desired without having tamed the wilderness. Government After the construction of the city and as the massive wave of colonists were expected to arrive, PIM saw fit to design a city government. They chose to create a Hearthwald Parliament, which would be made up of Representatives, elected by the people every three years. In total, there are 35 Representatives currently. The Parliament has the most power in the government, they create laws and have the ability to override the Consulate, if there is a 4/5 majority vote. They meet once a month in the Hearthwald Parliament Building, anything besides an override of the Consulate require a 1/2 majority vote in order to pass. Consulates are elected by the general populace every five years. They serve primarily as foreign representatives of Hearthwald, and in the case of an attack are given priority over the Parliament. They reside in a beautiful mansion and are well respected by the people, despite having little control over them. They are the administrators of the Parliament Sessions and most importantly they possess the ability to veto any laws on the condition that it is its first introduction. In the most formal occasions and when speaking to those who should, the Consulate is to be addressed as His/Her Excellency unless they give their consent to be addressed as Mr./Mrs./Ms. The first elections went smoothly, there was a decent blend between middle and upper class representatives. As for the Consulate elections, it was nearly certain that William Roberts III would be the winner, but he had two opponents running against him. An insanely wealthy Goblin entrepreneur and a young and ambitious Human politician by the name of, Lee Woods. Regardless, as William Roberts III is the current Chairman of PIM and the clear choice, he won by a landslide. Economy As PIM supports an industrial free market economy, it is natural that Hearthwald is filled with various factories and in the outskirts plantations. The primary exports of Hearthwald are precious gemstones mined from the quarries, sugar cane and cocoa from plantations, on the coasts further from the ports coconuts are harvested, most manufactured goods such as firearms, and finally oil. Off the southern coast of Stranglethorn and throughout the South Sea's several oil rigs can be found. Many Goblin owned companies have invested in setting up oil rigs near the island and much of it is refined in Hearthwald. Currently, the Hearthwalden economy is booming! With the recent wave of settlers, people are here to make money and are willing to work. This is likely due to the new business opportunities presented, maximum efficient factory based economy and the ease of commute. The streets of Hearthwald are filled with carriages, horses, carts, a few trikes. That is no the way of travel, though. A smaller Tram system, based off of the Deepen Tram has bee fitted for this environment. Despite all of this economic boom, economic classes have been formed. There is a very wealthy upper class, mostly the factory and plantation owners as well as some politicians. Typically seen living into similar buildings to the left, they usually live in homes such as this or in expensive villas by the sea. People from all former economic backgrounds have aspired to become wealthy in Hearthwald. The wealthy are not treated as they are in other lands where the are normally nobility. However, the largest class is by far the middle class. The backbone of the economy, most in Hearthwald's middle class are on the wealthier side compared to elsewhere. They can usually be found in houses as seen below. They usually work in factories or operate as store clerks, however there are a few prominent middle class representatives. The lower class is the smallest of the classes, usually only applying to those who are too lazy to work or have no way to support themselves, usually crippled. Those that do remain, they are sometimes often work that is suitable given their conditions, but not all are lucky enough. Throughout the economy, nationality and race seems not to matter. Goblins, Alteraci, Gilneans and Kul Tirans, which are the primary backgrounds of Hearthwalden settlers all seem to have a fair amount of people at the top and people in the middle. Military Hearthwald's riches and location are greatly envied by many unsavory types. The main aggressors are South Sea's pirates or wealthy Goblin corporation owners seeking to have a monopoly on one of Hearthwald's various industries. Hearthwald currently has a military police force that both enforces the laws and protects its citizens. Normally armed with firearms and other technologically advanced weapons, they are a force born from the Sons of PIM, who now serve as a guard force for Representatives and consulates. As it is an island, Hearthwald must protect itself from attacks at as well as protect its many trade routes. Hearthwald has a built a moderately sized navy, mostly dominated by the more commonly seen class of ships in the Human Kingdoms, they have however built a few metallic, steam powerd goblin warships that act as man of wars and as the flag ship. Such ships are also privately owned by corporations and aren't out of place in the harbor. However, by far the most effective branch of the Hearthwalden military is its artillery or heavy weaponry. Using some of the most advanced and effective cannons available, they are instrumental in the defense of the city. Recently, the top weapon developers of PIM have announced a prototype for a new weapon, something that will revolutionize warfare they boast. They have managed to redesign the commonly used Goblin shredders and have replaced the deadly saws, one with a fully-automatic turret gun found on steam-powered siege engines in the Alliance and the other limb to have a mechanical hand attached that could be used for a wide variety of uses. The firearm attached of course has limited ammunition but it can go for quiet some time. These weapons have been designed to be able to used by humans to goblins, outfitted to be adjusted according to the size of the pilot. The machines are essentially going to be weaponized version of the Goblin Shredders. The primary difference being they are slightly larger, weaponized and will be designed better support the weight of a turret gun and able to properly operate one. These machines will likely be apart of a privatized branch that will be able to hired by various contractors and will have a large ship and small infantry and artillery to accompany them. The primary tactic for such machines is to be used among infantry, firing down larger enemies and destroying siege weapons. Once a prototype is deemed functional and sufficient funds can be amassed, the construction of roughly twenty-five of these is to be completed and more will be built to replace ones destroyed. They can only afford to maintain and train enough to have twenty-five active HOWMS's or Humanoid Operated Weaponized Mech-Suits. A commonly found rifle in the Hearthwalden Military is the Gilnean Variant Rifle, an advanced form of weaponry. Members of the military may also carry melee weaponry such as batons and officers may carry rapiers or other formal weaponry. As the main purpose is the defense of Hearthwald, defense is key and the fewer people on the ground fighting and the more further away shooting them down, the better. Culture Being heavily industrialized, Hearthwalden society revolves around a more industrialized world. Different from other cultures found in the Human world. Due to the fact many people commute on a smaller tram system to the Deepen tram or they ride carriage and the occasional motorcycle, traveling is faster. Hearthwald is a blend of many different nationalities and cultures, each bringing to the table a little bit. The most prominent culture would be Gilnean, seconded by Goblin, and then Alteraci and Kul Tiran. The population numbers are also similar to this order. The clothing worn by its citizens are often based off of its origin, however the architect style is unique. A mixture between Goblin and Gilnean designs meant to be better for the location. Category:Islands Category:Places